Chapter Fourteen: Discovery

For the twins' story, Kiera did most of the talking, with Tria interrupting occasionally with some little forgotten detail. She explained how Tria found the green heart stone in the Spine, completely missing the significant look that crossed between Eragon and his dragon – or seemed to miss it. Kiera talked her way through the dragons hatching, their mother's announcement, the naming of the dragons, all explained in a cool, far-off voice that never faltered, as if it hadn't happened to them.

But when she came to the barons her throat constricted. Her mind raced through the shock, disgust, and horror, the fear as the twins realised Lasol was tracking them. One sideways look and Tria took over quite smoothly, describing the barons, their behaviour and their threats vividly, although she had to pause several times to curb her tongue before the carefully cultivated list of rude names spilt out. She recounted their escape from Carvahall, and then paused. "Come to think of the fact, we saw neither hide nor hair of the Ra'zac and their soldiers. We didn't even know they were around til we picked up some scraps of gossip in Therinsford about them."

"That's true," said Kiera slowly, her mind flipping through the possibilities. "We didn't see a single traveller on the road to Therinsford. Good thing, too – the dragons were teaching themselves to fly."

Eragon restricted a smile and gestured for the girls to continue. Kiera took up the tale again, carefully explaining how they'd decided to get to Daret across the plains. Tria squeaked as she remembered a certain conversation between them, and turned pale as everyone turned to stare at her.

She coughed slightly. "I was just remembering… I told Kiera that the nobles wanted to get their hands on us really badly. I heard Lasol saying he'd pay…" She named the outrageous price, stunning the men into silence. "That much. For each of us. Why would we be that important?"

Daine snarled and raised her head, glaring at the mountain. -As if our Riders were toys, to be bought and played with, then tossed aside!-

Tria stood up and rubbed Daine's head reassuringly. "No fear, Daine. It won't happen now. Unless…" She turned paler than ever and sat down with a thump. Daine rubbed her head against the girl's shoulder, crooning anxiously.

The twins exchanged glances, and messages, although no one besides them and their dragons knew. -Sorry, Kiera,- Tria said. -I was just… startled, for a minute. I remembered how Lasol tracked us. We're just two fifteen-year-old girls. They're barons from Galbatorix's court. What if they weren't looking to marry us at all, but it was just a plausible excuse to remove us? What if the king himself was after us?-

-Stop being paranoid,- said Kiera sharply. -They were just a pair of greedy – -

Tria smiled at the imagery her sister's swearing invoked. -I can't help it. I'm spooked now. Can you keep talking and cover for me? I need to regain my composure.-

Kiera sniffed disdainfully at her twin's fear and elaborated on the forest they'd hidden in for a time. She explained how Lasol had somehow tracked them there, after their two-month stay.

Eragon frowned at this. "He's unusually persistent, isn't he?"

Tria nodded. "I keep waiting for him to show up here, too. I know that I'm verging on paranoia, but… He just creeps me out." She shuddered and leaned into Daine.

Kiera stared at her. "You didn't seem so freaked about it before."

"Hey! I just suffered a major emotional blow, and nearly got scared out of my life when a childhood friend flew up on a dragon! And first, we thought that he was on Galbatorix's side and was coming to either swear us into service or kill us! I'm in shock, so leave me alone!"

Kiera cleared her throat and explained their flight to Dras-Leona, and how they'd almost been terrified out of their wits by Tria's mind-shrieks of "Dragon in the sky!"

Eragon interrupted her again. "How can you hear your sister?"

Tria and Kiera looked at each other. Tria shrugged one shoulder and turned back to answer the older Rider. "After we touched the dragons it was like our minds were... free, somehow. We developed strong bonds with the dragons almost instantly - and with the closest person. Our twin, in both cases," Tria explained. "Why? Is it, strange?" She cocked her head to the side in a soundless question that Kiera recognised: Don't spare me the details.

---

The twins were flying their dragons three days later. Eragon had deemed them plenty strong enough, and had both girls' legs firmly wrapped in cloths, and had already told them four times not to stay up for more than half an hour. Tria let loose with a war-cry as Daine roared playfully and did a spiral loop. Kiera screamed with excitement as Razi twisted and darted around his sister. The pair were perfectly matched in the air, the same size and strength. Kiera whooped and clung on as Razi flew straight up, then allowed himself to fall towards the ground before snapping his wings out to cavort around in the air.

-Alright! Enough aerobatics!- Tria shouted. They were too far apart to use regular speech. -Ready to try landing?-

Kiera made a face. This one sounded painful. -Okay. We'd better back off from each other, or Razi and Daine will get hurt.- The dragon beneath her tilted, and she leaned into the spiral as he searched for a place to land. Eragon had been training them while he and Roran scouted out Helgrind - if he wanted them to come back, they'd get the message in a split second.

Razi found a good-sized clearing, perfect for landing. He cut into his wide spiral and landed swiftly, with minimal bouncing. Kiera jumped off and checked the insides of her legs. The vicious scars Eragon had shown them on his calves were enough to convince the twins that riding bareback could be dangerous. Kiera was fine, thanks to the thick bandaging, which was beginning to wear through. She was just stretching her legs, preparing for the spring onto Razi, when the green dragon roared and leapt into the air.

-Razi?! Where are you going?!- Kiera demanded.

-Danger!- he roared back. -I'll draw them off. Run to Daine and Tria! They're in a clearing to the west! Be careful!- He raced away, spouting smoke and snarling viciously at the flock of bird-creatures around Helgrind.

Kiera stared after him. "What has gotten into him?!" she demanded of the shrub next to her foot. Then she set off with a shrug towards Daine and Tria.

---

Lasol scowled at the trees. He was seated next to a little-used game trail. He swore inwardly as his leg cramped and vowed never to listen to that contact's information ever again.

"Cursed man. 'Oh, yes, they'll be right along that trail all day and back,'" he mimicked in a twittering tone. Then he clamped a hand over his own mouth as a girl walked past his tree.

It was Kiera - the more sweet-tempered girl, if the black look Trianise had been wearing all night was any indication. He immediately readied the spelled rope Galbatorix had given him to capture the girl. "Either one," he'd been ordered. "It's either the stronger fighter or the easier nature, so it's no choice really. Just nab the first one you see."

Lasol yanked on his end of the rope at just the right moment, and the spelled cord whipped up and around Kiera's arms and mouth, stifling her shriek of shock. Instantly she howled in her mind instead, -Tria! Help!-

-Kiera?! Where's Razi?!- Daine had already taken off again, and Tria was searching wildly for the clearing her sister had landed in. Her heart was pounding and she felt faint with terror.

Kiera struggled to answer, but the knock-out spell was taking effect swiftly. -He said… danger…- and she fainted into her captor's arms.

Tria screamed in shock, fear and rage as the tie to her sister was cut. She could feel the knock-out spell in her mind – her tie to Kiera was so strong she felt it beginning to break her down. But she ignored it, instead slamming around, frantically searching for her sister's consciousness. She couldn't find it. Tria shrieked long and loud in grief, rage and terror, before her own consciousness was dragged away by her connection to Kiera. As she fainted her grasp on Daine slipped and she plummeted towards the ground.

Daine's roar of fear and anger echoed across the plain, startling Eragon and Roran all the way back at camp. "What in the world?" whispered Roran.

Eragon was already searching for the twins. -Kiera! Tria! Razi, Daine! Can you hear me?!-

What he got back was wild, horrified shrieks from Razi. -Kiera!- he howled. -Kiera!-

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Twin2: I remember this chapter. I read it aloud to my sister once I'd finished writing it (I was doing a solo stretch) and when I was done, she threw a fit.

Twin1: I hate cliffhangers. But not as much as I hate people who read and don't review! SO REVIEW! Because I hate cliffhangers enough to nearly strangle my sister when she gives me horrible, inexcusable ones like this one!